“If you’re growing faster than expected, this is the place to be”

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Life as a scaleup moves fast. Sometimes really fast. This is also noticeable when Ulf Gaardsted rents office space to scale-ups.

“In a world that’s still moving really fast, it’s just hard to figure out where you’ll be in 6-12 months – and that’s especially true as a scaleup,” says Gaardsted, who has run co-working spaces for startups for 20 years, and continues:

“It’s amazing when you grow faster than expected, but it’s still annoying to be stuck on the wrong lease for several years because the forecast was too conservative.”

At The Union Workspace, they try to keep it simple: Premium quality in a premium location – including right by Vesterport in Copenhagen – with all facilities and a strong community included. All on flexible terms, so startups or scale-ups can quickly change their lease as needed.

“If you’re growing faster than expected, this is the place to be,” he says.

Designed for community

With a premium experience and a central location close to Copenhagen Central Station and Vesterport Station, tenants at The Union Workspace are well-placed to attract talent. And that attractiveness is a must as most tenants are scale-upA scale-up is a strategic phase of business growth with heightened focus on expanding operations, revenue, and market presence rapidly. More companies on the rise, always looking for talent.

“The residents are very diverse, but many of them are on a journey of building and scaling a business – and that creates a special sense of community,” says Gaardsted, and the same goes for the employees:

“Some talented people find it difficult to see themselves in a smaller company if it also sits in a small office in Brønshøj. There is a lack of collegial buzz and professional sparring if no others in the company have the same profile as you. We are that baseline supporting the company’s culture and well-being in everyday life.”

The Union hosts Friday bars and a Christmas party, but this is only a tiny part of the explanation for the strong sense of community. The building itself at Vesterport is designed to promote casual encounters with others: With open spaces, lounges, a meeting centre and a rooftop terrace, there are many natural places for residents to cross paths and meet face to face.

“We don’t see ourselves as a rental company, but as a service company whose main task is to support our tenants’ growth and operations with flexibility, community and convenience,” says Gaardsted and continues.

“It must first and foremost be easy and nice to place your business with us – you must feel our personal service, and it must be pleasing to the eye, so it is a pleasure to receive guests and easy to attract the right talent to the team. And that ultimately shows in the company’s performance.”

About The Union Workspace

The Union Workspace is a complete all-inclusive concept: Everything from meeting rooms and coffee to magazines and shredding is included in the price.

The Union Workspaces is located in Nordhavn and Vesterport, and will open a new workspace in Aarhus in November. Vesterport is home to a wide range of scaleups – including Tradeshift, SumUp, Candeno, Mobilize, MorningStar and Advisely.

Read more at www.theunionworkspaces.dk

“Aesthetics is something we care a lot about. It shouldn’t just be white and easy to clean, but a place where the tactility and colours support the atmosphere that is so important for connecting people in the buildings. We’d rather be compared to a nice hotel in a big city than a classic office,” says Ulf Gaardsted.